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As Arsenal lay waste to a valiant but limited Hull side in their FA Cup fifth round replay, there were both clear positives and worrying negatives to take for Arsene Wenger. Two of his main goal-scorers finally easing themselves into form, Alex Iwobi putting in another eye-catching performance, and the drive and discipline of Elneny are sure to have given Wenger cause for content.But injuries to key squad members and a wider fan discontent with the current state of the club are factors that may yet heavily influence whether Arsenal end the season with a hit or a bust.
#1 The goals trickle in for Giroud and Theo
The lamentable run of form that Arsenal have gone through over the past two months have unsurprisingly coincided with a goal drought from their usual cavalry on call. Alexis Sanchez has been off his game ever since returning from a prolonged hamstring layoff, Theo Walcott has been desperately poor on the wings for an extended period of time, and Olivier Giroud has battled manfully and gotten assists but without the goal numbers expected from a senior striker.
After Sanchez sparked into life against Spurs at the weekend, Wenger will be happy to see two of his other erstwhile misfiring charges come good. Giroud’s first goal owed much to good fortune but his ability to ‘smell’ the stray back-pass from Meyler and make an anticipatory run should not be underestimated.
His second was also a neat finish that he made look deceptively simple: As Walcott’s cross from the left was deflected, Giroud adjusted his body well and fired home on the volley with his chocolate leg. Now a happy father to two kids, Giroud will hope to give renewed life to Arsenal’s title challenge as well.
Walcott’s case is a bit different, in that he had a pretty poor game for the major part of 70 minutes. Although he improved in the second half, most of what Theo tried failed to come off. Just like with Giroud, fortune needed to smile upon Theo’s struggling silhouette. It did so when his cross turned into the perfect on-plate delivery for Giroud after a minor deflection off a Hull head.
A few minutes later, an excellent cross-field pass from Campbell found Walcott one-on-one with the keeper; the Englishman is usually at his best when instincts take over, and his expert ball trap and finish paid testament to that fact. As the game wound down, another stroke of luck fell his way when a shot across goal deflected off a stray Hull appendage and beat the keeper for the fourth goal.
#2 Alex Iwobi impresses again
Jay Jay Okocha definitely didn’t let his genes go to waste. Alex Iwobi, who is the nephew of the famed Bolton star, possesses precocious skill, a maturity belying his callow years, and a consistency in performance that this year’s FA Cup matches have borne witness to.
The young Nigerian was one of the few good performers in an uninspiring first half from Arsenal. His wonderfully small turning circle has proven useful in many games as he receives the ball, turns, and starts attacks in the batting of an eyelid. Some instances of this switch-and-turn against Hull were reminiscent of Rosicky in his prime.
Iwobi seems equally adept at playing quick one touch passing and running at defenders with the ball, skills which current Arsenal midfielders rarely possess together. A few instances of Iwobi’s quality immediately spring to mind: waltzing between three Hull players before laying the ball off adroitly to Elneny, expertly killing an air-ball dead with one silky touch and starting the counter, and an effortless give-and-go with Campbell to ghost past the Hull midfield.
There are sure to be periods of patchy form and learning curves ahead, but there is enough raw talent and cool-headedness here to last Arsenal for years to come.
#3 Elneny colours within the lines
Mohamed Elneny put in another disciplined and calm performance in the middle of the park against Hull, carrying on from his impressive showing against Spurs. The Egyptian is more expressive and confident on the ball than Flamini, yet is more measured in possession and positioning than Ramsey.
The tempo of the game is paramount for Elneny, who always moves the ball along quickly and without fuss, subtly catching opposition players out of position due to his alacrity of thought.
Although he needs to bulk up physically to handle the brutishness meted out in the Premier League, Elneny’s intelligence should hold him in good stead until then. Already on a yellow card in the first half, Elneny was caught out on the counter in the second half but refrained from touching his opponent, instead covering other gaps and trusting his teammates to stop the attack.
When compared to Coquelin’s rashness against Spurs, it was a refreshing sight of temperance and one that Arsenal fans will hope Elneny maintains.
#4 The injury bell tolls on overtime
While there were a host of causes for optimism from Arsenal’s victory, injuries to Mertesacker, Gabriel, and Ramsey may yet snowball their season into an avalanche of failure and regret.
The lanky German came off in the first half after a nasty collision of heads and should be alright before long. The same can’t be said of Gabriel’s hamstring twang and Ramsey’s thigh strain, however.
Both will surely miss Arsenal’s return leg against Barcelona, and maybe the crucial league encounter with Everton. With Wilshere, Rosicky, Chamberlain, Cech, and Cazorla already sidelined, these three additions lengthens the Arsenal injury list to critical proportions during pivotal weeks of the season.
In a team that has played with iffy confidence even with players fit, the true impact of these injuries can only be ascertained with time.
#5 Thanks for the memories
When the final whistle blew and players started exchanging pleasantries, the camera focused on a banner unfurling in the Arsenal away section. ‘Arsene, Thanks For The Memories, But It’s Time To Say Goodbye’, it read.
This is not the first time the banner has made an appearance on the red-and-white terraces. The 3-2 loss against Stoke in 14-15, the downward spiral in spring 2014, basically any of the manifold occasions where Arsenal have let the initiative slip in recent years, the fans have made their displeasure known quite visibly and vocally.
And one can see where they are coming from. With sponsorship deals renegotiated and net spending now much healthier than before (Arsenal are third in net spend since 2013), Arsenal were expected to kick on and challenge for the big honours.
And while two FA Cups in two years have been enjoyable occasions, Arsenal’s current league position in a season marked by the absence of Man United, Chelsea, and Liverpool from the title challenge seems like a huge opportunity missed. It may have been churlish to unfurl the banner after a victory, but that just shows that any further slip-ups this season from Arsenal will not be received kindly in the supporter aisles.
The only thing that Wenger and co. can do in such a scenario is not slip up.
